34 The Times Magazine
- CANNELLONI WITH SAUSAGE RAGU
AND TOMATO SAUCE
Serves 4
Cannelloni can be hard to find, so go to a
good Italian deli. Italian sausage meat tends
to have some cured meat as well as herbs
and dried chilli in it. As a result, any sauce
made with it is really tasty and is far more
interesting than it would be if you used just
minced beef or pork. You’ll need a piping bag
to fill the cannelloni, and don’t skip the step
of leaving the dish to cool for a few minutes
before you serve. The pasta needs that time to
absorb the excess juices and all the flavours.
- 400g Italian sausages, skins
removed and meat chopped
- 1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 4 sage leaves, finely chopped
- 100ml red wine
- 400g ricotta
- 150g parmesan, finely grated,
plus extra to serve
- 1 egg
- 100g fresh or dried breadcrumbs
- Sea salt and finely ground black pepper
- 1 x 250g pack dried cannelloni
- 200g mozzarella, cut into small pieces
For the tomato sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 4 basil leaves
- 600g tomato passata
1 First, make the filling for the cannelloni.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan on a medium
heat. Add the sausage meat and cook for
10 minutes, until the fat has rendered and
the meat is coloured. Remove the meat to
a plate and set aside.
2 Add the shallot or onion, celery and sage to
the fat left in the pan and cook for 3 minutes,
until soft, then add the red wine. Cook for
2 minutes, until reduced by half, then return
the sausage meat to the pan and cook slowly,
on a medium heat, for 10 minutes or until the
mixture is reduced and syrupy. Remove from
the heat, allow to cool slightly, then add the
ricotta, half the parmesan, the egg and
breadcrumbs. Mix well and check the
seasoning, then set aside.
3 To make the tomato sauce, heat 3 tbsp olive
oil in a medium saucepan set over a medium
heat. Add the garlic and basil leaves and cook
for 1 minute, until the garlic has softened but
not coloured. Add the passata, half cover the
pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes – you
want the sauce still to be a bit wet because this
is what will cook the pasta. Season with salt
and pepper, then set aside.
4 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
5 To fill the cannelloni, spoon the filling into
a large piping bag. Cut a hole 2cm in diameter
at the end of the bag, then take a cannelloni
tube and, positioning the end of the piping bag
just inside the tube, pipe it full of filling. Keep
filling until you’ve used up all the tubes (you
may have some filling left over).
6 Grease an ovenproof dish or skillet with
the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add spoonfuls of
the tomato sauce to the base, so that you
cover it to a depth of about 1cm. Top with
a single layer of all the filled cannelloni
tubes, then pour over the remaining sauce.
Dot with the mozzarella and sprinkle over
the remaining parmesan. Cover tightly with
foil, bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil
and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the
tubes are cooked, the sauce is bubbling and
the cheese is golden.
7 Leave to cool for a few minutes, then
serve on warmed plates, sprinkled with
extra parmesan and black pepper.
PHOTOGRAPHS
01 Lizzie Mayson 02
he classics form the backbone of every
cuisine, especially in Italy. From meat
ragu to aubergine parmigiana, they
showcase the simplicity at the heart of
most Italian cooking. “A parmigiana is
little more than aubergine, tomatoes
and cheese, but with good vegetables
it makes a fantastic meal,” says Theo Randall,
whose new cookbook, The Italian Deli,
demonstrates the Italian art of creating
something special out of a few ingredients.
“Tiramisu is probably the least hassle to make
of any dessert I know. It’s creamy, it’s sweet,
you get the invigorating kick of coffee – it’s
everything you want in one go. They are all
classics for a reason.” Tony Turnbull
T
